Memories of the Forgotten One
by elliott ashes
Summary: This is the story of the previous cat, Kazuma's grandfather. Rated for future chapters. If you review I'll review you back.
1. Kazuki

Memories of the Forgotten One

This is the story of the life and death of Kazuma's grandfather. How did he feel about being locked away? Did his parents react to him the same way as Kyo's did? What about the other zodiac members? It's all here. Please review! By the way, I researched all the names and zodiac animal personality traits, because since I am using so many new characters, I want them to be accurate and meaningful. Kazuki can mean either peace or first of a new generation.

It was a rainy Saturday when Kimiko Sohma, the wife of Osamu Sohma, gave birth to a son. But when Kimiko held her new son in her arms, he turned into a cat. She screamed.

"It is the curse of the cat," said Osamu, sounding horrified. He and Kimiko both knew of the curse of the cat, as they lived "inside," and they had known that a new cat was due to be born around this time, but never had they suspected that _their _child would have to bear this curse.

Kimiko didn't know what to think. Her son was this _thing _, not even human, but it was still her son. _I must accept him, _she told herself, but at the same time, she feared that she would be unable to. She and her husband both knew that there was a much more terrible side affect of the curse that would start to happen seven days after the cat was born. It would turn into a monster if it didn't wear special beads.

The cat was also said to bring bad luck. There were stories of the previous cats, of the terrible things they had brought down upon their families. Kimiko told herself not to be so superstitious, that she must accept her son. "Let's name him Kazuki," she said wearily.

She also feared Daiki, the head of the Sohma family. He was a very harsh person, filled with anger, especially towards the zodiac members and the cat. What if Daiki came after her family?

Kazuki turned back into a child and began to cry.


	2. Great Shining

Memories of the Forgotten One

Chapter 2

Great Shining

I would like to dedicate this chapter to my reviewers,SharinganRasengan and Takumi4ever

In a dark room decorated sparsely with furniture, the windows blocked out by thick curtains, Osamu Sohma bowed low before Daiki Sohma. Osamu was on his knees, some of his short black hair grazing the floor. Daiki was standing, his frail form covered by a black robe. His dark robe and longish black hair contrasted sharply with the pale, unhealthy colour of his skin. The lighting of the room further enhanced this effect, making him look ghostly and inhuman.

"You may speak, Osamu," said Daiki. The tone of his voice made it obvious that he saw Osamu as inferior, as though Osamu was an annoyance. This would seem strange to any observers, as Daiki, nearly ten years younger than the other man, appeared to show him no respect whatsoever. But Daiki was the head of the family, and if Osamu showed him the slightest sign of disrespect, Osamu and those close to him were sure to suffer. The news he carried with him might already be enough to ruin the lives of Osamu and Kimiko.

"Speak!" commanded Daiki, impatience ringing in his voice and echoing through the room.

" Kimiko gave birth … to the cat-child," Osamu said.

Daiki looked thoughtful. When he finally spoke he did so slowly and deliberately, as though he feared that otherwise Osamu would misunderstand. "Make it wear the beads and keep it away from the other children," he said, looking at Osamu with even greater disdain than he had before. Osamu was no longer merely an inferior. Now Osamu was the father of the monster.

"Go now," said Daiki. Osamu said a few words of thanks as he left. Daiki could see the look of relief in his face_. What did he think I would do to him? _wondered Daiki.

Why were people always making assumptions about Daiki? Why had his entire life been decided for him? He had to live his life a certain way, he had to lead a family he had never chosen to lead, and he had to die before everyone else. Now his actions were being decided before he could even do them. He never had a choice.

He had to work harder than anyone else, he had to do so much, and nobody cared. His hard work would never be rewarded, hard work he hadn't even chosen to accept but was forced to do all the same.

They say the cat is the most cursed of all in the Sohma family. Daiki disagreed. If anything he was the most cursed, his life already planned for him, his death already planned for him. He felt like he was nothing, like he was nobody. Those Juunishi that he had to guide, they weren't the cursed ones, they were the curse. A curse designed to make Daiki miserable.

Daiki, who had fallen to the floor after Osamu had left, now pulled his frail form up into a sitting position. He ran a hand through his hair, the black strands flowing easily through his fingers. He wasn't afraid of dying. He didn't really find the concept so hard to grasp. He was always reminded that he would soon die; it seemed to be the only thing that he had to look forward to. What he hated was the fact that he had no choice. He was going to live an extremely short life, and he was going to live it entirely trapped.

He was the god of the Sohma's. He could have whatever he wanted except freedom. He hardly knew the meaning of the word; it was just another concept he would never get to experience. But he knew that it wasn't this.

He stood, and slowly walked over to a window. He pushed some curtains away to reveal the light of day. The light stung his eyes and felt unnatural on his skin, but he sought it out all the same. He couldn't control the light, sometimes it was there, and sometimes it wasn't. He could cover it with the curtain but some of it always came through. He couldn't control it, sometimes it would hurt him, but it was always beautiful. The light of an outside world that he never really understood, a world he could never live in. It was the light of freedom.

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Osamu approached the house warily. It was the house he would have to get the beads from. The house of the previous monster's daughter. Osamu had never met her before and knew nothing about her. He only knew that she was a monster's child, and therefore almost a monster herself.

He hesitantly raised a hand to the door and knocked three times. He had to do this. He had to ignore his dread at the thought of the monster and get the beads. The beads that could keep his son from hurting people.

A woman of about twenty answered the door. She was rather pretty, with a few strands of her long black-brown hair curving to frame her face. She dressed nicely, wearing a light colored kimono. Osamu found himself rather surprised by how _normal _she looked. He wasn't quite sure what he had been expecting, but it hadn't been this woman. "Oh, hello," she said, sounding surprised.

"H-hi," said Osamu, stuttering into a greeting. It felt so strange to be talking to a monster that seemed so _normal._

"Who are you?" she asked, looking puzzled.

"Osamu Sohma. I'm here about… about the beads."

"Kasumi Sohma," said the woman, bowing slightly. It took Osamu a moment to realize he was expected to bow as well. He did this, more deeply than he had intended to. He shouldn't even have to bow to a person of such low status, the child of a monster. But there was something about her personality that seemed to demand respect, and Osamu found himself unable to disregard it.

Kasumi motioned for him to come in, and Osamu did this. After taking his first few hesitant steps inside, he was again shocked by how normal everything was. The room was lit mainly by sunlight that entered through a large window. There were some small plants such as bamboo decorating the tables and resting on windowsills. The walls were pure white. It all looked like a _normal _house, actually a little bit nicer than normal. Osamu grudgingly had to acknowledge that it was nicer than _his _house.

He had known that life would change for him and Kimiko once the child was born, but he had never thought that their lives could change so much. He thought that it would be a kind of pleasant, gradual change, a new adventure for him and Kimiko. Instead it was this spiraling out of control change. They were now the family of the monster, forsaken by the Sohma family. And the child hadn't even transformed into the monster yet.

Something scratched against Osamu's leg. It wasn't very painful, but the surprise was enough to make Osamu reel around to look behind him. A small black and white kitten was at his feet; glaring at him defensively, head low like it was ready to fight. "Aki," said Kasumi. The kitten trotted over to her and she scooped it up in her arms. Osamu realized that Aki was the kitten's name. "My father had many cat friends. When he died, most of them left. Aki is the only one who stayed," said Kasumi. It was strange when she spoke. She never looked directly at Osamu and her voice had a short of far off sound to it, as though she was only talking to the wind and wasn't aware that Osamu was there. It gave Osamu the impression that Kasumi was somehow greater then him, as though he was not even worth her full attention.

No, that was nonsense. Osamu pushed those thoughts far away from him. She was the child of a monster. She was probably acting like this because she wasn't used to interacting with other people. She had been shunned all her life; she didn't know how to act. Yes, that was a logical explanation.

She had been shunned, as she deserved to be. But Osamu felt a stab of guilt. He was now about to be shunned the same way that he and everyone else had shunned Kasumi. He didn't want to be treated like that; he didn't want to be severed from the rest of the family. But it was what awaited him, and he knew it was the right way to do things. Those were the rules, and he couldn't be opposed to them only now just because it inconvenienced him.

Kasumi took a small box down from a shelf. It appeared to be a black shoebox. Kasumi opened it to reveal a small bracelet made from orange and black beads. Osamu was a very observant person, and he noticed two things that horrified him. There was no dust on the box, she had been looking at the beads often or at least recently. She had been looking at a cursed object, a blood stained memorial of the cat. They may keep the monster from transforming, but such a tainted object that had belonged to the cat… well, Osamu at least found it nauseating that anyone would want to look at it. If it had been him, he would have hidden the beads away and tried to forget about them. The other thing he noticed was that they were only kept in a shoebox, they could easily have been stolen and then the cat would have to stay as the accursed monster forever. An object that could literally save lives was kept in a _shoebox! _

"How can you keep them in a shoebox?" Osamu all but yelled.

Kasumi seemed totally unfazed. "First of all, it is not a shoebox. It is the box a vase came in. And to answer your question; why not? It is not like anyone would take them. They have absolutely no use to anyone but the cat. And I saw from your face that they sickened you. Do you really think that anyone would take something that they found to be so unpleasant?" Osamu could not come up with a response.

Kasumi fully opened the box and peered inside. Osamu found himself leaning over her shoulder to see inside as well. There were a few photographs, but what caught his attention were some sketches of trees and other natural surroundings. The drawings weren't exactly good by most standards; the artist seemed to have had very unsteady hands. They had amazing details, but the details gave them sort of a bizarre look. There seemed to be gnarled tree trunks with branches hovering above them, leaves floating around the branches, and small lines half on half off the leaves.

"The photographs are from when he was still free. He drew the sketches when he was confined. In the last few years of his life he was trapped inside and unable to go out. These were all he had to remind him of the outside world," said Kasumi. She picked up one of the pictures of trees. "Terrible, maybe the worst drawings I have ever seen. Beautiful though." Osamu wasn't quite sure what to make of this remark. Kasumi was smiling as she said it, a small, sad smile.

"They're very nice," said Osamu. He wasn't quite sure if he was lying or not. The artist clearly had no skill, yet there was something about the pictures that seemed… nice.

"Being locked away was what killed him. People cannot live like that. I hope that you realize that and do not let the same happen to your son," for the first time Kasumi was looking directly at Osamu as she talked.

Osamu left soon after, the beads wrapped in a brown paper bag, which he carried in his pocket. He had never felt more confused.


	3. Noble

Memories of the Forgotten One

Chapter Three

Noble

This chapter is dedicated toAnimedreamer240, SharinganRasengan, andTakumi4ever . Sorry it took me so long to update, I had midterms. I hope I haven't lost my writing abilities in the few weeks I've been away from my computer (Can that happen? Oh, that would really suck). Oh, and the chapters are named after the English translations of Japanese names I used. This one is named for Kimiko. And I would just like to say that unlike Kimiko I do not consider swearing to be a sign of being weak. There will probably be some mild language in future chapters.

Kimiko gazed at the sleeping child a few feet away. Kazuki was sleeping in a wooden crib while Kimiko sat on a matching wooden stool. Osamu had made these in preparation for the baby. At least, he had tried to make them. His woodworking skills were hopeless, and in the end they had relied on the assistance of the people at a furniture store to put them together. But it was the thought that counted, and Osamu was a very thoughtful person, Kimiko thought proudly.

Kazuki was sleeping peacefully. He looked like any other child his age, three days, so tiny it was hard to believe that he would grow up to be taller than her in all likelihood. Only one thing served to distinguish him from a normal child: a small tuft of bright orange hair. It stood out fiercely against his skin, pale from never being out in sunlight yet.

Actually, he might never get to go out in sunlight. Daiki and the previous head of the family had been extremely harsh on the previous cat. He had been locked in a small room and never let out, not even to see his daughter. He had practically lived in his own private world. Kimiko knew that Osamu and everyone said it was the right thing to do, that he was a danger to others and himself, but Kimiko had always found that hard to accept. She once said so as a child, which earned her a harsh scolding and warning from her parents. They had told her not to say such things ever again, or even to think them. She had not realized until years later that they had been trying to protect her from the head of the family who would be outraged if he heard someone say such things, even a young child. And the head of the family had many ears. The Sohma family was filled with gossips, and the head of the family had people in such a state of obedience and fear that they would tell him anything that they thought might be of concern to him, not caring who they hurt in the process.

So Kimiko had never thought about such things again. If those thoughts managed to push their way to the surface of her thoughts, Kimiko would banish them without a second thought. This strategy had worked extremely well, and her thoughts had been fairly safe and rational since then.

Until now. Now that her own son was the one who had to bear this curse, dangerous, radical thoughts had begun to resurface. Maternal instinct and rationality collided and contradicted so much within Kimiko's mind that it was hard to keep her thoughts in order. She wanted to just raise her son without thinking about such things, but she couldn't without addressing these heavy issues. But to address these issues was forbidden. On top of it all, Kimiko found herself wondering if what everyone said about the cat really was true.

Horrible stories. About murder and violence, evil and destruction. Setting fires and taking lives. The kind of stories that kids tell to scare their friends. When it seems like a distant issue, these things are easily discarded as myth. But when the alleged murderer is only a few feet away, these stories begin to seem significant. And the worst thing was, they say that all the zodiac members have the same soul as the one of the same type that came previously. Could this child really be capable of such malevolence in the future?

Kimiko knew this was a foolish way to think. If she believed the stories she was betraying her son, and if she didn't she was betraying her family. At least that way she would be able to please someone, to put her faith in something. But such wasn't the case. Kimiko _kind of _believed it, which meant that she was betraying everyone.

And Kimiko hated this most of all. She could kind of believe it. She couldn't blame it on prejudice, as she had never believed it in the past and eventually had never thought any more about it. She couldn't be a good Sohma and accept it as the absolute truth, or an extremely open-minded rebel and dismiss it as pure lies.

Kazuki stirred restlessly, as though he was about to awaken. Kimiko froze for a moment in trepidation. Damn it, where was Osamu?

Kimiko rarely let herself swear, even in her thoughts. It seemed like a sign of weakness, of giving in to yourself. This time however, Kimiko let it go with hardly a second thought. If the baby woke up she wouldn't be able to hold and comfort it, and it was Osamu's own fault if she turned into a foul-mouthed person.

Suddenly, Kimiko heard the door open behind her. She rapidly swung around to see who it was. "I'm back," said Osamu, stepping into the house. He looked tired; Kimiko wondered why he had taken so long. He closed the door loudly behind him.

" You'll wake him! And what took you so long, he almost woke up!" hissed Kimiko.

Osamu looked rather taken aback. Kimiko could swear she saw him take a step backwards as though afraid of her. He obviously had not been expecting this form of greeting. 'I just… I got… the beads," said Osamu, as though this explained everything. Kimiko did not feel like it did.

"He doesn't need those until he's seven days old! He's only four days now. You're needed _here!"_ Kimiko was still whispering, but her tone of voice was so harsh in conveyed her anger to Osamu more that yelling ever could. Osamu felt like a child and had to fight the urge not to run off and go hide, which seemed like a very tempting idea at the moment.

_Enough. I'm an adult. She's my wife, I'm not going to desert her when things get rough, _Osamu reassured himself. He knew he had done what Daiki had ordered him to; he had done the right thing he had thought. But Kimiko was angry with him, and Osamu couldn't help feeling like he had done something completely unjustified. Everything had gotten so confusing recently. Osamu found himself longing for his old life, when he had felt so optimistic, when he had felt like he understood the world around him. He planned out his next words carefully. "I did what I thought was best," he said. He hated the way it came out; Kimiko could probably tell that he now wasn't so sure if he had done what was best. It was probably so obvious in the way he said those words.

Kimiko seemed to read something completely different into his words, however. "Quit being so condescending." She said it not even in a whisper, but not loudly either. Her words were full of danger and rage, but her tone was almost flat, as though she no longer cared about what Osamu said. As though it made no difference whether or not he tried to defend himself. Kimiko walked past Osamu and out of the house.

Osamu stood in place, not sure what to do. He had to stop himself from telling Kimiko to put on a jacket, it was cold outside. She would probably see that as condescending as well. Osamu had no clue what he could say or do to make this better. He didn't feel like he was sure of anything right now.

A loud sound brought Osamu out of his thoughts. Kazuki had begun to cry. Osamu went as fast as he could to tend to him, almost tripping over his own feet. Clumsily he reached into the crib and picked up his son. He was so small; it felt so strange to hold him. Of course, Osamu had held him before, as Kimiko obviously couldn't. Each time it felt so odd though, to think that something so small could be considered a monster.

Monster or not, this was his son. Osamu didn't really have the time to think about philosophy right now, as the loud noises coming from the small child in his arms were making it hard to think. Osamu offered Kazuki milk from a bottle on the kitchen counter. The boy pushed it away and continued crying. He didn't need a change either. Osamu couldn't figure out why he would not stop crying.

Meanwhile, outside, Kimiko stood facing away from the house and everyone in it. She wasn't going to walk away, and Osamu probably knew that. She couldn't believe she had said those things. Sure, she could come up with a million ways to justify every word that she had said. Or at least she had been able to before she had said them. Now that the damage was done, Kimiko wasn't sure what to do. She didn't regret her words, not at all. But she had scared herself when she had said them. She never knew that she could be so aggressive. Thinking over her words for the umpteenth time, Kimiko was surprised at how cruel they sounded. She knew that Osamu would forgive her, that wasn't what she was worried about. She just couldn't believe she had said that to Osamu, she who had always been so calm before now. She felt like she was losing herself in the recent events.

As the wind rustled through the leaves of the many trees around the Sohma property, a completely unwelcome thought drifted through Kimiko's mind, seeming overwhelmingly loud in the near silence. _Kazuki is tearing us apart. It is the curse. _

No, Kazuki wasn't tearing them apart. This probably happens to all new parents. They were just stressed out and all. And the curse had nothing to do with anything. Kazuki was their son; the curse was just a small detail. There was no reason for them to start acting differently just because of an old myth. Kazuki could turn into a cat. That wasn't so bad. They could get past it, could accept it. There was no reason to suddenly start being superstitious.

Prejudice, Kimiko corrected herself. What most people would regard as a matter of superstition was completely factual to the Sohmas, well, at least those on the Inside. Outsiders would probably discard many Sohma facts of life as myth. People turning into animals. Daiki the Jade Emperor. Sometimes it was difficult for Kimiko herself to believe it all, it sounded so ridiculous.

But she had to believe it. She didn't really have a choice on that matter. She also had to accept it, and learn to cope. A cold wind swept past her, and Kimiko shivered. She resolved to go back into the house. She and Osamu would discuss what they were going to do with the rest of their lives, they would plan everything out. They would try to understand what was going to happen to them. More importantly, they were going to discuss what was happening to them right now.

Kimiko walked back to the house. It seemed she had been walking, completely unintentionally, as she was thinking. She walked for at least half a mile to get back to the house. Thankfully, she had traveled in a relatively straight line, so it was not difficult to find her way.

She entered quietly, so as not to wake Kazuki. As she gently closed the door behind her, she scanned the room for Osamu. He was sitting on the stool holding Kazuki, who was fast asleep. Osamu raised a hand in greeting as Kimiko entered the room. Kimiko sat down next to Osamu and Kazuki, waiting.

And this time, she did not plan what to say next.


	4. Bright Part One

Memories of the Forgotten One

Chapter 4

Bright Part One

The last chapter didn't get any reviews. That makes writers sad! Please review this story! I know I might not be that great a writer, but at least tell me how I can improve.

This chapter is sort of strange because it focuses mainly on Kazuki's thoughts. I guess it is a few years after the last few chapters. Sometimes I will write in first person for Kazuki's thoughts and sometimes in third person for every other character. I hope it isn't too confusing.

…

**Kazuki's POV**

It is loud. The voices are raised, as they say. If raised means loud, they must be very raised. Rising up into the clouds that fly far above the house. I wish that I were like the clouds. Flying from place to place, coming back to the ones I liked. Leaving when there was a storm or lightning. Like now. I don't like this place, not now. Not most of the time. I want to fly away like the clouds. But not forever. There are good things here too. There are many good things. No one ever does anything bad to me. They disagree sometimes. Many times. It is very loud and the noise hurts my head.

I don't understand why they disagree so much. It's easy to not disagree, to not be loud. If someone asks you a question you say the answer they want to hear. Like if someone asks if you understand. I always say yes. I usually don't understand. I don't understand lots of things. Maybe I never will understand everything.

No, that's not true. I'll understand when I'm older. That's what everyone says, at least. I wonder why I'll understand when I'm older. Does everything really change so much? I don't want to change. I want to stay like I am now. I don't want to start being loud and disagreeing all the time. I don't want to make my voice raised and scare people.

The only thing I want to change is how I'm always causing problems. Problems cause disagreements. Disagreements make the raised voices that hurt my head and make me close my eyes. I know I'm causing the problems. I always hear my name when there are disagreements, and many words I do not understand as well. I want to learn to understand all the words in the world so I can understand what the problems are. Then I can fix them and we can all be happy. When I am older I will know all the words in the world. Then I will not have to become a cloud and fly away.

I see the corner of the sofa. There is a hole, and inside it are clouds. I take my hands off from my ears and reach in to pull some clouds out. The bits of cloud are fluffy, but not as soft as they look. They are a little bit scratchy on my fingers, but not enough to make a white-line-mark or to really hurt.

I take out some more clouds. I want to make one big cloud that I can sit on to fly up, up into the sky. I will fly up really far. Maybe I will never come down. Maybe I will come down when the disagreements are over. Maybe I will come back when I am older and understand things. I hope I will understand things when I am older.

The cloud is very big now. The pieces are kind of hard to stick together, but I find a way to. I break them up into really small pieces, like little strings, and roll them in my hands. I never knew clouds were made of string. Strings that sticks together, and float in the watery blue sky.

I look at the cloud now. It is big, big enough to sit on. But the corner of the sofa, I think it is the armrest, is flat. It is like an empty plastic bag.

I'm scared. I just wanted to make clouds, so I could fly away. Then there would be no more disagreements. They will see the flat sofa and be angry. They will ask if I understand, and I'll need to lie. I hate lying. Everyone always says that it's wrong, but everyone always wants me to lie. I wish I could explain that I wanted to make clouds, but they won't understand, I know. They never understand. When I am older I will know the words to explain. I can explain to everyone and there will be no more disagreements ever.

They are still disagreeing; they will be a while before they notice the bad thing I have done. I walk out through the back door; they are not watching. I close the door quietly behind me. It is heavy and made of wood. The wood is a dark brown colour, with lines of darker brown running through it. I run my fingers over the lines. They make a nice pattern, sometimes turning towards eachother, sometimes away. Whatever one line does the one beside it does the same in the other direction.

I think it has been a long time. The sky is darker. It is purple, blue, and orange, a very nice pattern. I see the sun; half of it is behind a hill far away. I want to walk over to that hill, to see the sun. I want to know if the sun feels warm. It is warm in summer, when there is more sun I think. But it is hard to remember the winter. It was a very long time ago. It was cold. I'm not sure if I remember that or if I just know from people talking about it. Everyone says that last winter was very cold. Harsh was the word, I think. I don't know what the word means, I think very cold. I remember the flowers and the grass and trees turned brown, even the leaves.

I think it is fall now. There are some orange and brown leaves on the trees and on the ground. There are also some green ones, dark green. Like green paint with black paint mixed in. Sometimes Mom lets me use the paints to draw. Not usually, only when she is around and is not doing work. She watches me draw. I think it is so I don't make a mess. Maybe she also wants to see what I am drawing. Mostly I draw us, me (Kazuki!) and Mom and Dad. I always draw us happy, never disagreeing. This is partly because I want us to be like that, and also because I think that it would make Mom sad to see me draw us like that. Sometimes I draw myself with orange hair, like it is. It is strange hair; more orange than anything I have ever seen before. More orange than squashes, or orange flowers. It is bright and shiny, like an orange sun. I have never seen an orange sun, only a yellow sun, sometimes it looks white. I never really look at it, or course, that's bad for your eyes. Once time it was red for a few days, because there was a big fire nearby. There were ashes in the air, Mom explained it to me. I could look at the sun then, because it wasn't bright enough to hurt me past the ashes. It was very beautiful, shiny and round. It was round like the yolk of a fried egg, and red as the red parts of a fire.

Sometimes I also draw myself with black hair. Everyone I know has black hair, or at least dark brown. I don't know very many people, though. I know my parents, and sometimes people come to the door to visit. They never come in though. I don't know why, but Mom and Dad and me are not usually supposed to leave the house. Dad leaves to go to work. Mom does work mostly at home, cleaning and cooking. She also does work where she reads papers and writes things, and calls people on the phone. I am not really sure what her job is, but I think it is important because she doesn't like me to interrupt. I know that Dad is a doctor. Sometimes we have to go see Daiki. When that happens we all have to wear our fancy clothes. I hate wearing fancy clothes. I can't play because I'll get them dirty and they aren't comfortable at all. They are scratchy on my skin like the clouds from the sofa.

I am walking towards the hill. I can't walk very fast though, so the hill stays far away and small. I look behind me and I can't see the house. Oh no, now I'm going to be in even more trouble. I'm not even allowed to leave the house except to see Daiki. I used to think that Daiki must be another person who is causing problems, like me. When there is a disagreement his name is said almost as much as mine. When I met him though, I found out he wasn't like me. He gets very angry fast, like Mom does sometimes, but worse. He yelled a lot, like Mom sometimes does, or Dad when he is really, really angry. But Daiki didn't just yell. He threw something and it almost hit me and I could tell Mom was angry and Dad was surprised but they both didn't say anything. I think Daiki was mad at me, because he threw the thing at me, not even close to Mom or Dad. I wish I knew why everyone is always getting mad at me. I think it has something to do with the beads I have to wear and with my orange hair.

I know that if a girl hugs me I turn into a cat. Mom explained it to me. Sometimes I will accidentally bump into her and I'll turn into a cat. Sometimes I will bump into her on purpose and say it is an accident. That is the only way I can ever hug her, and even though she gets mad at me after, it is worth it. It is because I am cursed. The rat cursed me, I know. There was a banquet to be in the zodiac, and the rat tricked me so I couldn't go to it. That's why I'm cursed, because the rat is a stupid liar. I hate him. I don't remember the banquet or the rat, I think because it was so long ago. I heard that it was in a past life, but I don't really understand what that means. How was I alive before now if I don't remember it? I wish I could remember my past lives or that someone would at least tell me about them. I asked Mom, but she acted like I didn't even say anything. I asked Dad and he said that he can't tell me because I did bad things in those lives and I didn't want to hear about them. I felt very sad when I heard that, that I had done bad things to people. I wish I could go back and change them. I don't want to hurt people; I want to fix the bad things even if I don't know what they are or why I did them. Then maybe I wouldn't always be causing problems for everyone now.

Sometimes Mom would let me play outside in front of the house. I wasn't supposed to tell Dad about it for some reason. I think it is against the rules. The rules are so confusing; I don't understand why they are different for me than they are for everybody else. When I played outside I would squish the blades of grass against smooth rocks. It would make a green paint, and I would put it on the tips of my fingers. I would write my name onto trees using the paint. My parents taught me how to use letters to write my name. I only know a few kana, reading and writing are hard. I think it will take me a long time to learn all the letters. Some day I will also learn Kanji, which are very complicated and difficult. There are more than one hundred of them. I can only count to twenty, numbers like one hundred are really big. Someday I will also know all the numbers. I will know all the numbers, letters, and words. I will be very smart and know how to not cause any more disagreements.

I am not allowed outside anymore. One day when I was writing, some boys walked by. They stared at me and started talking to eachother, very quietly so I could not hear their words. I went over to them. I wanted to talk to them, I had never seen any other kids before except from inside through the windows, and then I hadn't been allowed to talk to them. When they saw me coming they ran away. I think one of them yelled. I told mom about this and since then she never let me outside anymore. I hope that sometime soon she will let me go out again. Then I won't have to sneak out like this and get in trouble. I'd like that. I think when they find out that I am gone they will be very mad. Maybe they will never let me out again, maybe they will always watch me.

Maybe that will not be so bad. If they are always watching me they will never have the extra time to raise their voices and hurt my head. Maybe we can finally be happy. I'd like that, even at such a high cost.


	5. Bright Part Two

Memories of the Forgotten One

Chapter 5

Bright Part Two

Yay, a review! Thanks The Girly Man!

I found out that this writing style is actually used in some published books, like **The Lake House, By James Patterson**, so switching between first and third person is acceptable. That's good, I was worrying about that. Now to start the chapter. I hope I don't ramble on too much about the beauty of nature here, I just had this image in my mind I had to put down into words, I was inspired today, lol.

…

General POV 

Kazuki stood at last at the top of the hill that had covered the sun. He looked around him, scanning his foreign surroundings through his large orange eyes. It was fairly bare on top of the hill, not grassy like around the house, or with so many trees you couldn't see the ground, like at the nearby forests. There were a few drying shrubs, a scattering of lonely trees, and a clump of bushes with red berries. He had been warned by his parents many years ago not to eat the berries, they were poisonous. Kazuki knew that meant you could die from them. Since that day many years ago, or maybe more recently, it was so hard to remember when the days seem to each stretch eternally on, Kazuki had done everything he could to avoid those berries. He was probably more afraid of the berries than he was of death itself. It was a word that didn't really mean much to him. He knew what it meant, how you get old or sick or poisoned and you can't move anymore. He knew that it was supposed to be a very sad thing, something that made even adults cry.

He knew because he had seen it. A long time ago, there had been a phone call that his great-aunt had died. Kazuki had never met her, or at least didn't remember if he did. His mom had started crying on the phone, and then handed it to his dad, then he started crying as well. Kazuki had been drawing and been too nervous to ask what was wrong. Eventually he worked up the courage to ask, in a hesitant shaky voice, "Why are you crying?" He hated the way the words sounded as he said them, like a little kid. But his dad had answered the question, telling him about how his aunt had died from being old. Kazuki had known that he was supposed to cry, that was what people did when someone died. But he couldn't seem to find any tears, and could not even pretend to cry. So he had went into his room, closed the door, and stayed there until the next day.

Now, staring at the berries, he decided to face his fears. They were just plants, they couldn't hurt him unless he ate them, right? Kazuki inched closer to the infamous red spheres, first anxiously, then more confidentially. His journey gained purpose with each step, as he realized that the berries weren't going to be able to do anything to him. Standing right next to the plant, his fears had somehow completely evaporated. He picked up a berry and rolled it around in his fingertips. It was hard and smooth like a polished rock. It was kind of pretty, bright red and shiny. He dug into it with his fingernails, revealing an orange interior. He excitedly realized that he would be able to write his name in bright orange, like his hair, like his eyes. His color.

He could even write his name on the sun, for everyone in the world to see. He knew that everyone all over the world saw the same sun at different times. His mom had taught him that also, she was very interested in science and the world. She probably knew more about the world than any of the other Sohmas. She always read the news and all the new science books. She seemed to know everything in the world, thought Kazuki's dad also knew a lot, but he didn't usually take the time to explain everything to Kazuki. Sometimes he would make up stories and tell them in order to explain things when Kazuki asked him questions. Kazuki knew many of them weren't true, but he liked to think like they were. Stories about sorcerers, monsters, spirits. Like, how their house had a spell cast on it by a dragon to keep it from being invaded by robbers, as Kazuki had once feared. Kazuki sometimes asked if the stories were true, the reply was always a smile and a simple sentence. "How would I know that?"

That always puzzled Kazuki. Oh well, the stories were cool to listen too, anyway. Kazuki didn't realize it yet, but Osamu made them up as much for Kazuki's amusement as he did for his own escapism, a breath of fresh air from outside the stifling Sohma cage.

Finally remembering his quest to find the sun, Kazuki climbed onto a high, pointed rock. Kazuki looked down from the highest spot on the hill, where he could see more houses than he had ever seen in his life. He was overwhelmed by the vastness of it all. Sure, he knew that Earth was big. He could probably quote statistics on it, Kimiko had told him so much about it. And Kazuki remembered every word, always anticipating the answers to his almost unstoppable flood of questions. Sometimes he'd ask the same ones more than once, just to see if the answer was still the same or to have something to talk about.

But he couldn't see the sun. It was nighttime; the sun was at another part of the world now. It was way out of his reach, even though he had walked all this way. His legs and feet hurt, and he was dirty from the long journey. He wanted to go back home, but he couldn't after trying so hard to get away. Plus he didn't know the way. He felt his eyes fill with tears as he wished with all his heart that his parents, or anybody, would find him and tell him to come home, they were worried. But it was late at night; it must have been a very long time. They would maybe never notice, and even if they did, they would never be able to find him either. He was lost and helpless, and he hated that feeling more than anything.

Enough, he told himself. He wasn't going to cry, he was too old for that. He knew that he could stop himself from crying, if he controlled his thoughts and looked up at the ceiling so the tears wouldn't fall down his face. He looked up, but was surprised not to see the ceiling but the night sky, filled with countless stars. He knew because he tried counting them. They were the only lights he could see, but they were so bright that he could see the ground and plants around him, and even the houses in the distance. Some of the houses had lights from candles in the windows, and there were even a few rare light bulbs, but their light couldn't reach to light up all the way over where Kazuki was. The stars were the only lights that he could see the ground under his feet by.

It was kind of cold, and Kazuki shivered. He knew he should have taken a jacket. It was too late now, so he was forced to make due with his light garment. Even so, he was grateful to finally be outside again and not trapped in his house going nuts with the passing of each endless day. The lack of night and day, light and dark, warm and cold, furthur served to emphasize the mono-day effect he experienced while at home. This was the greatest feeling in the world to Kazuki, being able to see everything, to feel the wind on his skin and listen to it rattle the leaves of trees together, making a sound like waves.

Suddenly, Kazuki's ears pricked up at a new sound. A steady beat, pounding against the ground. Footsteps! Kazuki felt his breath catch and his heart start to beat fast. What if a person was coming who wasn't his parents, a person who would get him in trouble? Like last time, how he hadn't been able to ever go outside until now, after those boys had come to the house. Even if it was his parents, he wasn't sure if they were angry or not. He didn't want to cause another disagreement. Or what if it was robbers?

Kazuki scrambled to get off the high ledge of the rock, and felt a brief rush of air fall up past him. He fell suddenly and uncontrollably to the hard and cold ground, barren of grass. At last he landed awkwardly, his feet touching down first, but soon falling onto his hands and knees. It was a little bit painful, but since he didn't have time to examine his scrapes and bruises now, he'd ignore them and pretend they never happened. He blotted out the pain from his mind and focused on getting out of sight, as the footsteps got louder and clearer, closer.

Abandoning all remnants of previous fear as a new, more urgent, one replaced it, Kazuki dove into the bushes. He felt his the thin layers of his clothes tear and brambles scratch at his skin, probably leaving shallow cuts and scratches on his arms, but nothing he took the time to notice now. He could feel his heart pounding and focused on making his breathing, which sounded unbelievably loud to his ears, synchronized with the wind. He was breathing hard, but thankfully the wind was picking up.

The footsteps got closer until a boy came into Kazuki's field of vision. Kazuki shrunk back deeper into the shadows; he knew he had to be careful. _Please don't let me be seen, please don't, please don't _he prayed over and over in his mind. The boy stared right in his direction, standing only a few feet away now. Kazuki tried not to make eye contact, to stare at the dirt and plant pieces in front of his face, as though that would help him hide. He knew it didn't really make any sense, and it probably seemed stupid and immature, but at least no one was going to see. He hoped.

The boy at last turned away and looked out over the hill and out at the city there. He seemed as amazed with the sight as Kazuki had been only moments before. Kazuki raised his eyes, and even his head a little bit, now that he couldn't be seen. He allowed himself to look more closely at the person he was hiding from. The boy was dressed plainly in shades of beige and white; his clothes were a little baggy on his thin form. But even the plain clothing made him look fancy. The bright white made his tanned skin stand out intensely. His hair was brown, darker than his skin but a lighter brown than Kazuki had ever seen before. He had long hair for a boy, messy too. It blew around in the light wind, just like his clothes.

Now was the time, Kazuki told himself. He could sneak away while the boy was staring out far into the distance, too absorbed to see around him. He could crawl quietly away, Kazuki could find the way back home if he tried. Now was his chance, maybe his only opportunity for a long time.

He pushed himself up by his palms and sat up on his knees. His feet had started to fall asleep and the tingly sensation bothered him as he moved. It felt good to finally stretch after that long time spent sitting so awkwardly. He extended an arm to loosen it up, putting his other arm behind his head to stretch his neck.

He felt something strange against the arm that he had reached up with. It wasn't spiky or waxy like a plant, but rather soft and warm. Kazuki, unable to restrain his curiosity, looked up to see what it was. Two yellow eyes stared into his own orange ones, both pairs reflective and disk-like. A cat. It lowered its black and white splashed head and arched its back. Kazuki stared, knowing he was powerless to do anything, as the cat opened its mouth wider than seemingly possible, revealing sharp white teeth and a pink tongue. A sharp hiss escaped from the animal.

As he noticed the sound, the boy's head swiveled around and his eyes made contact with Kazuki's.


	6. Intelligence

Memories of the Forgotten One

Chapter 6

Intelligence

…

…

"Who's there?" asked Akira, suspiciously. The black-haired boy could see two eyes, reflecting the moonlight, staring into his own. He edged closer, walking slowly so as not to frighten the… animal? It looked like a cat or something. He placed his feet softly and carefully before him, but still managed to crack a twig underfoot. The sound rang out like a shot through the crisp night air. Akira grimaced, knowing that the animal would likely run away now, before he could even have a chance to see what it was. _Darn. _

But to his surprise, the creature stayed put. Its eyes widened as though frightened, but it didn't dash off. Through the corner of his eye, Akira could have sworn he saw a small black thing, moving away in complete silence. _Probably just a bat, or a shadow. _Whatever it was, it didn't matter. The important thing was that the strange animal was still here.

It didn't appear to be very big, but it was bigger than any cat Akira had ever encountered previously. But he didn't get to go outside that much, so maybe there were many large felines roaming the city.

But if it wasn't a cat, or even if it wasn't a tame cat, Akira well knew he could be endangering himself by getting too close. He had read all about dangerous animals that dwelled in the wild, and while this city certainly wasn't a jungle, there was a fair amount of wildlife. It would be just his bad luck to get one of those rare animals that there were only, like, twelve of in Japan, the kind you read about in the paper attacking travelers. Then again, it would be worth the risk if it _was _a rare animal. It seemed that there were two probable answers to what was hiding in that bush:

One: A rare animal that may or may not attack.

Two: A common house cat.

Akira didn't take long to think about this, but a thousand analytical thoughts did go through his mind, sizing up his situation. He concluded that it would be more rewarding to his life experience, not to mention his curiosity, to see what was there. So, with a gentle but swift motion, Akira pushed aside some branches, orange-yellow eyes watching him the whole time.

What met his eyes was not at all what he had expected. Crouching on hands and knees was a _kid._ But it didn't look like any kid Akira had ever seen before. It was a boy, maybe three or four years old, and looking scared and shivery. His clothes were ripped and dirty, and twigs and bits of grass were stuck in his hair. His hair was arguably the most peculiar thing about him, that or his eyes. His hair was a vibrant shade of orange, which was obvious even in the dim light, and stuck out in pointed clumps. Even without his eyes, his hair would have made him appear decidedly odd.

So, either someone had bleached a little kid's hair and the same kid just happened to have weird eyes, or…

Zodiac member. Well, technically this was probably not actually a zodiac member, more likely the cat. It couldn't be the tiger, there was already one of those alive, and perfectly healthy despite being in her sixties.

But wasn't the cat usually kept in confinement? That seemed to be this head of family's policy anyway, as well as the policy of his last two predecessors. Akira was a bit of an expert on the Sohma family's history, among other things. He had found the records that were normally only read by the head of the family, and a few of those really close to him (or sometimes her, but in this case him). He had only days before been on one of those painfully boring visits to Daiki, oh how he hated those visits. They were usually Daiki asking him and his parents weird questions, his parents asking for permissions on various matters, really, really boring. He remembered rolling his eyes once. Daiki had noticed and grinned one of his creepy smiles, showing many very pointy white teeth and saying how charming a child Akira was (thanks to which, his brother had a new nickname for Akira: Charming Child). Akira had hid behind his parents, feeling afraid that Daiki was going to take a bite out of his head. Hey, it seemed like a completely rational fear at the time.

Akira's parents had given him a long and patronizing speech all the way home, an incredibly long fifteen minutes. Akira had probably rolled his eyes again. His favorite expression. It always seemed to get on people's nerves, and that could be amusing. Especially when people were giving speeches, he rolled his eyes, and they stopped mid-sentence and walked off in a huff. Most often with his parents, they would just give him another speech, though. The dreaded How-To-Be-Respectful speech.

It wasn't that he disliked his parents, they were good people… just really old fashioned, to put it bluntly. They followed Sohma laws and precautions that weren't even required anymore. They hardly ever let him out of the house, afraid that he would somehow transform and show everyone the secret. _Oh, the horror, _thought Akira sarcastically. Honestly, what was the big deal about changing into an animal? Sure, it wasn't exactly normal to most people, but that's because no one ever tried to make it seem normal. Yeah, if no one knows about it, sure they're going to be surprised if you turn into a dog right before their eyes. But honestly, they wouldn't be surprised if they knew what was going to happen. This memory erasing nonsense would be made obsolete!

Following that line of thought, it wouldn't have been so hard for Akira not to go outside often and to have to follow a bunch of silly, pointless rules, if he didn't know there was an outside world. But unfortunately, or maybe fortunately depending on how you look at it, Akira had a brother who was five years older than him, not a zodiac member, and therefore exempt from all those rules. His name was Ken'ichi, and even though they were brothers they looked nothing alike. Ken'ichi had black hair as well, but always combed neatly. Akira's mom had long since given up trying to comb Akira's untidy hair. Ken'ichi had paler skin, and was more muscular. Akira was dark skinned and wiry. The two had nothing in common in appearance except for their deep brown eyes and the ridiculously overly formal clothes they were always forced to wear. Right now Akira was dressed casually, but his parents would never have let him leave the house dressed like this. That is, if they had known he'd left.

Akira often left his house at night, just to get some air and a brief release from the dreaded Sohma cage. His brother didn't know how lucky he was. Akira had nothing against him, but was sure that he, Akira, was much more deserving of the privileges that Ken'ichi took for granted. Akira was a harder worker; he spent all his time studying. Not just for school, he was home schooled and so couldn't even leave the house for school, but he just spent all his time reading whatever he could find and observing and opinionating about everything he saw. He knew that his parents would worry if he seemed to know too much, so he made sure to do as badly as possible on the home school assignments they made him do. He spent most of his time in his room, supposedly studying. He knew that his family was worried that he was getting below average grades when he seemed to be working so hard. Actually, he was just in his room reading, searching through countless words in vain, trying to find anything that might help him to be free of the Sohma curse, or at least to pass the time, His parents didn't have any "dangerous" books lying around the house, of course. Just alphabet books and supplementary learning tools. Mostly Akira went over to friends' houses and they let him borrow what he wanted. He wasn't really supposed to have friends either, but he knew a few other zodiac members from New Years dances and from sneaking out. He also had a few friends who were non-zodiacs. He hadn't told them about the curse. Even if he hated the dumb taboos about telling people, he wasn't going to go _that _far in his defiance. Ken'ichi had a ton of friends; they'd sometimes come over to the house. When that happened Akira was usually sent to his room.

Ken'ichi had no appreciation for the freedom he enjoyed! But Akira could think about that all he wanted and it wouldn't get him anywhere. He forced himself to focus back to the present. He had a problem with getting too lost in his own thoughts, which was getting worse and worse. Even if he did have extremely rapid processing skills, he was still losing too much time just thinking.

Where was he right now? Ah yes, the hill. The moon was full tonight and hung overhead like a bloated firefly. There were numerous stars, brighter than normal, shedding a white-blue glow upon the stubbly earth. And on the small orange-haired boy. "Did you run away?" asked Akira, not exactly sure how to start a conversation with a little kid who looked so scared. Besides, Akira knew that many young Sohma's tried to escape, either literally or metaphorically, from the Sohma lifestyle. The Sohma chains were not so easily shed, however. Especially when the zodiac members were so visibly different and the Sohma head had so many spies. His secret eyes that saw all that happened.

The boy shook his head, and was silent. Just when Akira thought he was never going to say anything, the boy spoke in a trembling and awkward voice. "No… I didn't run… I walked here. Away from what?"

So this kid was probably just lost and all alone here. Still, Akira had to be safe. "Did anyone follow you?" The kid shook his head no. Akira was ready to heave a sigh of relief but didn't, not wanting to frighten the little kid any more. "Are you the cat?"

"Yeah… but I'm also called Kazuki." His eyes were still wide and fearful, but he did seem to have calmed down some.

"It is my pleasure to meet you, Kazuki. I am Akira Sohma, the dog," said Akira, his tone very respectful. He even bowed. The kid… Kazuki seemed surprised yet pleased at this sign of respect he was obviously not used to. Akira knew it was best to be courteous to new people he met, especially zodiac members. Well, the cat technically wasn't a member, but he still counted.

"Are you lost?" asked Akira innocently. Kazuki nodded, clearly holding back tears. "Who are your parents?" Akira knew where most of the Sohmas lived. They often kept the same houses as generations passed, and he had a map of the houses from what must have been at least 60 years ago. To be fair it wasn't his map, but many of the old records were kept at the dragon's house, and he had allowed Akira to look at them, including the map.

"Osamu Sohma-sama and Kimiko Sohma-sama," said Kazuki in a small voice. Good, they should still be living in the house where Osamu's parents, Kichiro and Sango Sohma, had lived, or at least near by. The good thing was that house was very near by.

"Come on," said Akira. He took Kazuki by the hand and led him back to the house. There was a path nearby that led there; it was kind of muddy and rocky but thankfully short. They reached the area in hardly any time, and Kazuki was able to identify his house.

"Remember, Kazuki-san. Don't tell anyone about meeting me, or else Daiki will be very angry with both of us." Akira neglected to mention that his parents would probably kill him. Kazuki nodded he understood.

Akira knocked on the door and ran off into the shadows, hiding behind one of the few trees that still had enough leaves to conceal his willowy form. He watched the door open and Kazuki enter, before he walked back to his own house.


	7. Sword

Memories of the Forgotten One

Chapter 7

Sword

…

This chapter is weird on purpose. If you're wondering, the name Katana means sword, and that's why she is represented by a purple sword.

Ryuu stood in the center of the dojo, his weight forward on the balls of his feet, ready to lunge or dodge with no warning. He took a deep breath and grinned at the crowd that had come to watch. His long mane of spiky coal-black hair was tied back in a ponytail to keep it out of his eyes, but a few loose strands still managed to escape, and he hastily brushed them away from his peculiar eyes. His eyes were shiny and dark, and seemed to change color with the lighting. Right now they looked like many-facetted blue-black opals.

The teenager looked around to see who would be his next opponent. Ryuu's heart was beating rapidly from the exertion, but the excitement already had his veins pumping full of adrenaline. He loved martial arts of all kinds, and he spent most of his time practicing them. His parents didn't mind if he devoted most of his time to training, as long as he got good grades.

This wasn't really much of a tournament, just a weekly class in martial arts. Even so, Ryuu felt it necessary to prove himself here. So far he was definitely succeeding, having defeated his first three opponents without receiving any injuries himself.

Hachiro was called forward by Shishou, and the boy walked somewhat hesitantly up to Ryuu. Hachiro was about the same age and size as him, but Ryuu looked much more sure of himself than the bespectacled brown-haired boy.

The two opponents bowed, and Ryuu's smile was instantly replaced by a look of intense concentration. Hachiro launched the first attack, a punch that Ryuu blocked. He retaliated, Hachiro just barely dodging the attack. Hachiro stepped back a couple of steps, clearly shaken by the close call. Good, thought Ryuu. He's intimidated.

Just as Ryuu was about to launch another offensive attack, Hachiro beat him to it with a quick roundhouse kick that Ryuu avoided by pulling his head back just in time. He could feel the air in front of his face as Hachiro's foot went by. Before Ryuu could counter, Hachiro attacked again with another kick, this time to the midsection. Fortunately, Ryuu was prepared. He blocked the kick with ease and countered with a quick jab to the head that Hachiro couldn't quite avoid; the punch grazed the side of his face.

Hachiro stumbled and Ryuu immediately took advantage of this weakness. He launched a short, swift kick at the other boy's torso, causing him to fall to the floor. Just when Ryuu thought this battle was his, Hachiro pulled his legs out from under him and used the shift of weight to rapidly pull himself up. Ryuu was dazed by the sudden fall and before he knew it, Hachiro had him pinned to the floor.

There was silence, as, since no one appeared to have predicted this outcome, no one knew how to react. Shishou broke the silence with a few claps, and soon the entire crowd followed his lead. "Hey, Hachi, can I get up now?" asked Ryuu.

"O-oh, of course!" said Hachiro, a bit flustered by all the attention. He looked towards Ryuu to see how the boy was reacting to his loss.

"Good fight, man. But I only lost because I was tired, next time I'll reclaim my honor!" and with those words, Ryuu broke into a huge grin.

Hachiro also smiled broadly, in a somewhat awkward and confused way.

Ryuu walked home, his head swimming with thoughts. He went over the battle repeatedly in his mind, trying to pinpoint the reason why he had lost, but having great difficulty finding the exact cause of defeat. He certainly needed more training. Actually, at the moment he was more in need of a good rest to recover from his injuries; it felt like little sparks were running up and down his spine, stinging his back.

Hachiro was in his class at school, but the two had never really talked before. They hung out with different friends, and all Ryuu knew that they had in common was that they both got average to good grades and both took martial arts.

And they were both "inside." Ryuu was a zodiac animal, and Hachiro's sister had married into the Sohma family. Although Hachiro wasn't a Sohma himself, Daiki had let him "inside" for some reason. _Why_ was a mystery for all of the Sohmas, and a popular topic of conversation, when Daiki wasn't around of course.

Ryuu was glad to be one of the few zodiac members allowed to attend an outside school. Many of the other members were home schooled or taught by teachers in the Sohma family. But Ryuu's family had insisted on an outside school, saying Ryuu needed "exposure." Daiki had allowed this, likely because Ryuu's mother came from a wealthy background and provided much financial support to the already well-off Sohma family. Or maybe it was because Ryuu had such an important job to do for the Sohma family and they couldn't afford to anger him.

…

"Erase her memory," the cold voice sneered. Ryuu was alone in the room with Daiki and a young woman. Apparently she had seen the rat transform when he fell on her. She looked wide-eyed and confused, but that could as likely be because she had been dragged here against her will.

"Can you please leave, Daiki-sama," said Ryuu, his voice minimally polite, more like an order than a question. He didn't like the man, and he hated having to take orders from him. Even so, he hoped his tone of voice went unnoticed, as he feared punishment from Daiki.

The man left the room, grumbling something as he did so, but Ryuu ignored it.

He touched a hand to the woman's forehead, careful to place his fingers exactly right. This was too risky to be done without meticulous attention to details.

Ryuu found the need to talk as he did this, to calm them both down. His hand kept shaking, and so did the thin woman. Besides, nothing he could say would be remembered. "My name is Ryuu Sohma. I'm thirteen, and the dragon from the Chinese Zodiac. You've found out a secret about the Zodiac, can you tell me about it?"

He knew his statement was really direct, but direct was best for this. If she knew his name it would make her more comfortable talking to him, and if she talked about the memories it would be drawn to the surface of her mind, easier to access.

"P-pleased to meet you. I'm Katana Eniwa," Katana tried to avoid eye contact, but Ryuu persisted in attempting to meet her gaze, even though it was rude. Eventually she found herself unable to escape his haunting eyes, and she was sure she could feel herself being sucked into them.

He felt their minds sink together, almost fusing. Ryuu focused most of his mental energy on trying to keep a thin membrane between the two. If they were allowed to merge totally, one of them could, metaphorically, drown in the other. This could result in major psychosis for one of them and the other one becoming braindead. Or it could result in one or both of them losing touch with reality, or simply completely different personalities for both of them. It hadn't happened enough to know all the outcomes, or even how likely they were. All that anyone knew for sure was that it was an incredibly risky procedure that couldn't be done half-heartedly.

_A dragon for the dragon. Amusement rippled through their minds. _

She began to speak, but it was difficult to distinguish between words and the louder thoughts.

A little boy, walking. His hair is grey. A hand moves in front of my face, blocking some sight out. There is a path, and the sun is bright. Hopes that it will not darken skin.

Light fabric brushes against skin. Walking. The sun is warm. It's elating, even the sound is beautiful.

_A purple sword is constricted by a coal-black dragon, so dark it does not even reflect the light but instead absorbs it. Asking for more. _

The boy falls on a rock, kicking up dust, Hands reach out to catch him, but he is gone. Smoke mingles with dust, a pile of clothes, a rat in them. Screams in shock, thoughts go all over the place.

_Taken away. _

The dragon absorbs the thoughts, taking them away.

_Away._

Away…

As the woman fell forwards, Ryuu caught her, careful not to embrace her. He gently put her down and raised a hand to his forehead, where a few beads of sweat were standing out. The memory erasing process was a huge mental strain, and it had sapped away much energy from both of them.

He hated taking away memories. His head was swimming with thoughts and memories, and he had to think hard to distinguish his own from hers. If it were possible he would have asked another dragon if it was supposed to be this painful to erase memories or if he was simply going about it the wrong way. But of course he couldn't, as there were no other dragons alive.

He left the room where he had done the memory erasing. Daiki was standing outside the house, waiting for him. "How did it go?" he asked Ryuu.

Ryuu nodded, too tired to say anything.

He walked a good distance away from Daiki before stopping to observe his surroundings. He hadn't been sure what he was walking towards, just that he was tired and had to get away from Daiki. Now pausing, he was stunned to see that it was almost night. There was a dim shadow cast over the landscape, and a few stars could be seen in the sky. He spent a moment just looking up at the sky. It seemed almost like he could see the stars move, like he could see time passing.

Since it was night, Akira was probably out somewhere. He seemed to spend most of his time on the hill, even on school nights. Ryuu wondered where he got his energy from.

Ryuu took off in a slow jog towards the direction of the hill. He was exhausted and his entire body was aching, but he forced himself to run anyway. He had to do something to distract him from the warped thoughts that had been transplanted into his brain.

Sure enough, Akira was there, standing perilously close to the edge of the cliff. Akira could be annoying, with his know-it-all attitude, but at least he was someone to talk to that wouldn't pester him about how the memory erasing went. Akira already seemed to think he knew all about it. This was a bit annoying as well, because he couldn't have possibly experienced anything as difficult as the memory erasing process, but if he didn't ask questions his condescending attitude was bearable. It was hard for Ryuu to believe that Akira was three years younger than him.

"Hey Akira!" he called, startling the boy into almost falling off the ledge.

"Hey," he responded, in an almost bored tone.

"I had to erase someone's memory. Do you know Katana Eniwa?" There was no use in small talk with Akira. It was better to just cut to the chase. Ryuu didn't doubt that Akira knew all about Eniwa. He seemed to know all about everyone. It was actually kind of scary, and Ryuu wondered how much Akira knew about _him. _

Akira seemed more interested now. He loved to be asked to regurgitate his information. "She's a teacher, at your school I think."

"What subject?"

"I dunno. She's not a Sohma, so there aren't any records of her accessible to me." He sounded annoyed, and Ryuu wondered if it was because he didn't know everything about everyone or just because he thought it was obvious he didn't know everything and was tired of being asked.

Either way, Ryuu thought it was best to change the topic.


	8. Hero

Memories of the Forgotten One

Chapter 8

Hero

…

"Akira! Did you hear the news?" the boy shouted, the vicious wind batting slashes of rain against his cold skin.

"What are you doing here?" Akira asked impassively. It was late, past midnight, and the weather was terrible. Cold raindrops fell rapidly, carried by unrelenting gusts of wind. The sky was pitch black, like an imposing sheet that had been thrown over the sky.

"I came to tell you the news," said Kazuki simply. His breath came in gasps and Akira noticed there was a slick coating of muck on his clothes, as though the cat had slipped on the muddy ground on his way to see the older boy.

"What news?"

"It's about Daiki," he started, and then stopped. Akira threw him a questioning glance and he continued, "He's passed."

Akira gave an exaggerated sigh. "Kazuki, we all know he's dead."

"Oh."

They stood in silence for a few moments. Kazuki's large eyes shone with disappointment. He brushed some hair out of his eyes, as Akira noticed he often did when he was nervous or upset. But Akira didn't feel like saying anything. Kazuki was seven now, he had to learn to deal with things on his own.

"Is that why you're upset?" Kazuki asked suddenly.

"I'm not upset."

"You're acting upset."

"No I'm not." Akira's voice held a trace of annoyance, and he spoke with a finality that told Kazuki it would be pointless to continue the conversation. Akira got like this sometimes, completely antisocial and brooding.

Kazuki started to walk away, his shoes making squelching noises in the wet earth.

'Wait," called Akira.

Kazuki spun around. "What?"

Akira paused. "Nothing. Never mind."

Kazuki trudged his way back to his house, a nagging feeling of gloom following him back. Standing outside his door, he picked up the secret key from underneath the doormat, and inserted it into the lock. The door opened with a slight click. The sound caused his heart to beat wildly, in fear that someone would hear the sound and wake up. The noise was hardly noticeable, but in the quiet of night is seemed to become exponentially louder.

He looked around nervously. Good, his parents weren't waiting just outside the door to catch him. He always had a feeling they were watching him whenever he did something he knew he shouldn't have. But he sometimes had a need to leave the house, an urge he couldn't fight that took over him and seemed to push him out the door.

The floor creaked slightly beneath his feet and he cringed. The paper doors didn't do much to block out sound. But he made it back to his room without incident, changed out of his muddy clothes, and fell into an uneasy sleep, dreaming of Oni and zodiac animals.

…

"Ah ha!" called the triumphant voice as Akira entered his house. It was completely dark in the dwelling, save for the ray of moonlight that fell in as Akira opened the door.

"Sh!" said Akira, more annoyed than startled. "Do you want to wake them up?"

"I don't know, do I?"

"I thought even you had enough brainpower to answer a yes or no question."

"Shut up."

"Oh, brilliant comeback, Ken," said Akira, voice dripping with sarcasm.

"I'll punch you," said Ken'ichi, extremely irritated.

"I'd flip you, they'd wake up, and we'd both be screwed."

Ken'ichi sighed. "You really need to learn some respect for your elders."

"Like you?" asked Akira with a sly grin.

"Don't go there."

"'Kay, fine. So why were you waiting for me?"

"I've had my suspicions about you for a while, and this proves them correct."

"I didn't realize your vocabulary included big words like "correct" or "suspicions"."

"You're such a brat! Anyway, you're not as clever as you seem to think, or else you wouldn't have gotten caught by someone as "stupid" as me."

"Chill out, Ken. You know I'm just messing with you. Don't let me get to ya. You're top of your class anyway, so you can't be as dense as you look."

"Learn some respect!"

"No thanks. Anyway, I think I can guess what this is about."

"Yeah. Anyway, don't you dare tell them, because I now have info on you that you don't want them knowing. If you talk, there will be no more nightly prancing for you."

"Ooh, melodrama," said Akira, rolling his eyes as he walked away.

"Why can't they just send him to school? Maybe some socialization would make him normal," Ken'ichi said to the toaster.

…

He wasn't sure what had wakened him: the loud voices or the first rays of sunlight streaming through his window. He sat up, rubbing his eyes to clear the sleep from them.

"Morning," he greeted his parents as he walked into the main section of the house. His parents replied in unison. Osamu walked out of the house, closing the door after him. "Where's Dad going?" asked Kazuki.

"He has to get to the funeral early, according to orders," said Kimiko, who had begun to try and fit various fancy outfits on Kazuki.

"Whose orders? Not Daiki's, he's dead. Ow!" Kazuki exclaimed as Kimiko accidentally elbowed him in the nose.

"Sorry. Don't say dead. Passed. And they're going to appoint the next head of the family, your father has to be there for that."

"What about me?"

"Ordinary people like you and me don't have to be there until the main part of the funeral."

"I'm an ordinary person?"

"Don't ask so many questions. Done!"

Kazuki looked in the mirror and was unsurprised to see himself wearing extremely fancy attire.

"Won't this get all muddy from outside?"

"We'll take a different route than usual. Wait… how did you know about it being muddy outside?"

"Uh, I heard it raining yesterday."

"Kazuki, don't lie. I saw how muddy your shoes and clothes from yesterday are." Her face was entirely expressionless, so Kazuki had no idea what to do. He knew he could lie, confess, or smile and hope she wasn't angry with him.

He ended up not doing anything. Before he could speak, Kimiko had. "Good," she said simply, a small smile that could mean anything decorating her face.

"Huh?" said Kazuki, completely taken aback.

"Don't mention this to your father, Kazuki," she said, her tone of voice unreadable. It reminded of a promise Kazuki had made himself years ago. He had said he would learn to understand people, so he could keep them from getting angry with him. It seemed he so far hadn't made much progress with that goal. Maybe people made no sense whatsoever.

…

"Hi," Akira mouthed to Ryuu. The other boy didn't notice, so Akira looked back at speaker who was addressing him and the other Juunishi. It was someone he had never seen before, a formal-looking man with neatly trimmed grey hair that looked odd when combined with his young-looking face. It reminded Akira of the rat, who was also listening to the man speak. Well, as much as the rat listened to anything. He always seemed to be in a daze, and even though his parents thought that he would grow out of it with time, at the age of seven he was still exactly the same as he'd always been.

Akira forced his attention back to the speaker, but it was hard to concentrate on what was being said. The man spoke in a monotone, with no enthusiasm whatsoever. "With the departing of Daiki Sohma, a new person must take temporary leadership of the Sohma family, until the next manifestation of the Jade Emperor has revealed himself and grown to an age suitable to rule. Myself and the other elders of the Sohma family have selected this temporary leader. We have chosen…" he paused in what seemed to be a sign of respect, but could have been simply to increase the tension in the crowd. "Ken'ichi Sohma."

_WHAT? _Akira's mind seemed to scream the thought. He knew he must have let out a small gasp. How on earth could Ken- his own brother! - become leader of the Sohma family? As far as he knew, Ken'ichi didn't have any leadership skills, and he was hardly an adult. How could he have been voted the best choice for leader?

The rest of the crowd seemed to be just as surprised with the results, and a ripple of whispers seemed to spread through the mass.

He glanced over to his brother, who had been standing in the section where the nonzodiac members had been instructed to stand. He saw Ken'ichi calmly walk up and bow deeply to the man. _He must have known!_ Akira swore that as soon as the service was over, he would make Ken'ichi explain all of this.

For the first time he could think of, the world seemed to be running itself without stopping to explain to Akira what the heck was going on.

…

Kazuki squinted to get a better look of the monument to Daiki. It was hard to see with so many people in front of him, most of them much taller than Kazuki. He and Kasumi had to stand separately from the other people attending the ceremony, since he was the cat. It made him feel kind of embarrassed, though he wasn't quite sure why. _It's probably because I'm standing out, _he realized.

He had thought Osamu Sohma would have joined them by now, but it suddenly dawned on Kazuki that his father wasn't coming. This made him feel surprisingly disappointed. It wasn't like he saw his father much anyway. He spent most of his time at work and doing Sohma family business.

Kazuki was surprised to see how plain the monument was. It was made of black stone, and into the side the name **Daiki** was carved in ornate letters.

"Who's that?" he whispered, tugging at his mother's arm.

"Ken'ichi-sama, the new head of the family." It sounded strange to hear his mother call Ken'ichi "sama." He was only a teenager, and from what Akira spoke of him, he wasn't very polite.

"No, not him. The old guy."

"Sohma Yuudai-sama. Daiki-sama's father."

"Daiki-sama had a father?"

"Of course. Now be quiet, you're being bad-mannered."

It was then that Kazuki noticed that no one was crying, not even Yuudai.

…

It was late at night, and the crowd had dispersed from the Sohma Family Cemetery. The unpleasant weather conditions from last night had returned. The wind was an animalistic howl, and carried small droplets of rain with it. It battered itself against the man, but he didn't submit to it and continued walking.

It wasn't yet completely dark, the entire landscape was stained navy-blue and the full moon shone down brightly through a parting in the clouds. The man's steps expertly avoided the puddles and muddy areas, as though he had been here many times prior to this. His elegant black shoes picked up hardly a trace of mud in this entire trip.

His footsteps stopped abruptly, and he looked about once more to make sure no one was around. Reassured that he was alone, he sat down beside the black shrine. He began to talk, at first his voice quiet and controlled. He seemed as emotionless as ever for a long time. As he spoke he ran a hand against the cold stone, dripping with icy rainwater.

Then something seemed to snap inside him, and he began to sob. But he continued to talk, even when his words were so waterlogged no human would have been able to understand them. Finally, he regained control.

He stood up, purposely dropping the object that was reason he had come here in the first place. He looked at it, and saw it had landed perfectly and needed no adjustment. He felt a feeling of contentment wash over him, like the rain that had by now soaked through all his layers of clothing.

As he walked away, his silhouette melding with the night, a green stone sparkled against the black monument.


	9. Strong First Son

Memories of the Forgotten One

Chapter 9

Strong First Son

…

I would like to thank SexySesshieSama and cheshirejin for their kind reviews. Also, I would like to highly recomend the fics Rising Affections by cheshirejin and Lost and Found by SexySesshieSama to anyone looking for a good Furuba fic to read. I'm glad that you are both enjoying the story. I was planning to post this chapter last week, but my computer erased the document and I had to rewrite it. I'm not sure if this is as good as the original, but I hope it is okay. Summer vacation is almost over, unfortunately, but hopefully I'll still be able to update this story frequently.

I'm trying to get the feel for when this story takes place. It would be in the 1920's, but I don't know much about this time period in Japan, other than a few basic things that I tried to fit in (like Ken'ichi's and his mom's attitudes towards his dad. Speaking of his mom, don't worry if you don't like her. Upcoming female characters will be less annoying.). If anyone knows anything about 1920s Japan, please tell me. I will be eternally grateful, and I will of course give you credit in an Author's Note. Arigato!

…

Ken'ichi was proud to be the head of the Sohma family. The fact that it was only a temporary position seemed insignificant at the moment. What mattered was that he, Ken'ichi Sohma, had _authority. _The fact was hard to grasp, but outright invigorating.

When his parents had first approached him to inform him he was a candidate, he had been shocked, to say the least. The fact that his parents were actually paying attention to him was startling in itself, but even more so was what they told him. People were chosen as candidates from the time they were born, based on their immediate family's status within the extended Sohma family. Seemingly every action of a candidate was monitored by Sohmas and reported to the elders. The fact that he or she had been clandestinely observed all their life would be enough to drive most people to paranoia, but oddly enough, once he overcame his initial shock, Ken'ichi just accepted it.

And now, he was head of the Sohma family. Even his parents would have to see that this was better than just being a zodiac member. He would get to make important decisions in the upcoming days, which would affect the people who had previously controlled his life. He had nearly absolute power, even if it was only within a unit of slightly over 100 people.

But right now, he wasn't making any decisions. He had taken a long walk. He wasn't sure why, but he had felt an overpowering urge to get as far away from his house as possible. He began sprinting as the lake came into view, at the bottom of the ledge.

The sight was breathtaking. The sunset was just beginning, and the lake rippled with reflections of burnt orange and lilac clouds, the sun swimming drunkenly in them. Ken'ichi dangled his long legs over the edge and let himself relax, but still took the care to hold on to the branch of a nearby log, just in case he started to slip. Even the air tasted better outside, he thought.

Suddenly, he felt something connect hard and painfully with the back of his head. He lurched forward in surprise, looking straight down. The view no longer seemed so beautiful. It was just really, really dizzying.

He clambered to a standing position, and as he wheeled around, he came face to face with none other than Akira. "What. The. Hell? What are you doing here? I-I could have been killed!" Ken'ichi shouted/stuttered.

Akira said nothing. He walked a few feet away, and picked up a black water bottle that lay on top of the sandy earth. Ken'ichi realized that must have been what had hit him in the head. The younger brother leaned his head back and sprayed some water into his mouth, swallowing it with agonizing sluggishness. Then he pointed the bottle at Ken'ichi. "You're going to tell me everything," he said, in what was obviously intended to be a low, threatening voice. In reality, it just sounded comical, especially when combined with the fact that the boy thought a waterbottle was an intimidating weapon.

"Seriously, 'Kira," said Ken'ichi, unperturbed. "What are you doing here?"

"I came to ask you some questions."

"No. I mean, how did you get out of the house."

Akira shrugged. "They let me."

Ken'ichi laughed disbelievingly. "They let you," he repeated, "Akira, they've never let you out on your own before! Why's this different?"

Akira cast his eyes towards the ground. "They're celebrating," he mumbled.

"What?" asked Ken'ichi, caught off guard by that answer.

"I just said, they're celebrating! Ken'ichi, they're proud of you! Dad's taking us out to dinner, and they're doing nothing but talking about how happy they are for you. I asked if I could leave the house, and they said sure, as long as I find you."

Ken'ichi didn't say anything. Akira's words were spinning through his head, and he didn't know what to make of them. Part of him wanted to be ecstatic, but another part felt furious for some reason he wasn't sure of.

"Now for your end of the bargain." Akira interrupted the battle going on in his brother's brain.

"I don't recall ever making any deal with you."

"I told you about me, now you tell me your side of the story. Why are you suddenly king of the Sohmas?"

""King of the Sohmas?""

"Just answer!"

"Why should I tell you anyway?"

Akira squeezed the waterbottle menacingly.

Ken'ichi snorted disdainfully. "Please, Akira. I'm not scared of a wa-" he was cut off when his brother shot a jet of water right between his eyes. "Hey!"

"You know they'll kill you if you come home sopping wet, your nice new clothes all ruined."

He could finally see Akira's logic, but he didn't really care. Besides, if his parents were acting all warm and happy and utterly unlike themselves in every way, they probably wouldn't care about the condition of his clothes, now would they? "Watch this," he called behind him, turning to face the cliff.

"What? No, Ken- you can't seriously- you're not gonna - no…"

Rather than answer, his older brother leaned forward, hands above his head, and fell out of view. Akira ran towards the edge of the cliff, and, all fear for his own safety abandoned, he leaned forward. Not enough to fall, just enough to watch his brother's ridiculously reckless dive.

Ken'ichi felt absurdly free and alive as he freefell. Then his hands broke the surface of the water, and he felt himself sink down into a rush of warm water. His eyes were wide open, taking in the blurry turquoise underwater scenery. Plants wavering in the current, rocks overgrown with slimy hairy weeds, and what looked to be a school of small black fish.

His lungs were screaming for air, and realizing he couldn't ignore them any longer, he swam up. His movements were slow and seemed to hardly move him. His clothes felt like a web that was squeezing the life out of him. He could see what looked like a sheet of light, hanging above him. He kicked his feet madly, swimming with all his might. His shoes fell off, but he ignored them. In fact, it was easier to swim without them.

When his head finally reached Abovewater, the land of air and sunlight, it seemed that his chest had been milliseconds away from exploding. He took huge, greedy gulps of air, after spitting the salty water out of his mouth. Then he sneezed several times. "Come on in, the water's fine!" he called merrily.

"You looked like you were drowning," Akira shouted back from on top of the ridge.

_Felt like I was too, _he thought, but out loud he said "Whatever. Now, how do I get back up?"

"You mean you don't know?"

"Nope."

"Well I don't!"

"I thought you knew everything."

"Sorry to disillusion you."

"S'alright. Now help me find a way back up."

…

By the time Ken'ichi had actually made his way back up to the pathway, by means of a long trek along the sandy shore while Akira shouted at him to hurry up, the sun was just barely visible over the horizon and clouds that looked like plumes of grey ash hung in the sky. Ken'ichi felt like he had inadvertently entered a zone where time went 10 times faster than usual. He had never considered himself a wilderness expert, but he knew enough to conclude from the position of the sun that he was late, and therefore in trouble as soon as he entered his house. Plus, he had only been able to find one of his shoes.

He felt no need to hurry home.

Akira walked beside him, at first pestering with questions. When Ken'ichi declined to dignify him with more than one- or two-word answers, the younger boy gave up and they walked in silence the rest of the way. Ken'ichi was grateful that it was a warm spring evening, so he didn't feel as cold as he could have, considering his wet clothes.

Ken'ichi had been planning to sneak quietly to his room and change out of his drenched clothes, but his plan was immediately stymied. "Ken'ichi! Akira! Welcome home, you took a bit longer than I expected. But that's alright, you boys can stay up a little later than usual, it is a special occasion after all!" said their mom with a wide smile, coming to greet them the moment they were through the door. There was a sickening cheeriness about her, which she usually only used when Ken'ichi brought friends over. For this reason, he usually went to his friends' houses instead. When it was just her son around, he would practically have to bribe her just to get the time of day.

"Thanks," he said, his voice neutral.

"Oh, you're soaked! What happened?" She sounded genuinely concerned, but it was hard to tell with her.

"I… fell in the lake," he said lamely. Never mind that the nearest body of water was half-a-mile away from anywhere he was supposed to be…

"Well, go change, quick! Your father is taking us out for dinner, and it would be disrespectful to make him wait, considering he is taking his own time to spend with us," she said, dismissing Ken'ichi.

He went up to his room, changing quickly into an elegant black outfit. That went… differently than expected, he mused. His father hadn't said anything at all, though he had been there the entire time, sipping tea and watching them. Then again, his father hardly ever talked, so that wasn't unusual. He was like a ghost that occasionally showed up in the early morning or late at night. Ken'ichi couldn't help admiring his dedication to his job.

His mom was another story. She seemed to be the image-obsessed, status-obsessed type, but she did have moments where she seemed… well, like a real person. But most of the time, she was either obsessive or indifferent. She hadn't always been like this, Ken'ichi thought. He could remember dimly… no, he pushed those thoughts from his mind. He should be happy, he was the head of the Sohma family! This was no time to be angsting about random issues he had with his family unit.

He went back to the main room of the house, where his parents and brother were already waiting.

…

The stars were sparkling above them as they ate. They had ordered quite a lot of food, so there would probably be leftovers for breakfast tomorrow. He could maybe even take some in his lunch to school with him. It was his last year, and he only had a few months left to go. He wondered what the Sohma policy was on the head of the family attending university. Oh well, he had plenty of time to find out.

"Have some sake, Ken'ichi," invited his father. Ken'ichi eagerly poured himself a glass. He was a little bit underage, but hey, he had parental permission!

"I want some," said Akira.

"No," said his father, with a finality that shut Akira up immediately. Ken'ichi clinked glasses with his parents while his brother sulked.

Ken'ichi rudely stabbed a piece of tamago on his brother's plate with his chopsticks and brought it to his own mouth.

"Hey!" Akira protested, but was ignored.

"So, Ken'ichi," said their dad, conversationally. Still, Ken'ichi knew it must be something important he was going to say, because he was one to use his words sparsely.

"Yes, Father?"

"Have you thought of anything you would like to do now that you are head of the family? This is not a position to be taken lightly, so you should have already designed something in the way of a leadership plan."

Ken'ichi felt his heart rate speed up, as a panic began to creep up on him. _Think of something! _he silently told himself, as the feeling of dread started to grab his shoulders with its cold bony hands. _Don't lose it now! _He mentally flailed at the creature that had wrapped its arm around him as though to choke him.

But the feeling passed before it became a full-blown panic, and it was gone in a flash of insight. "Yes, I have been thinking," he said.

His father gave no response, which told Ken'ichi he had better continue.

"I was thinking that the Juunishi should go to school."

He could tell from his mom's and Akira's faces that they found the idea positively out of the blue. _Come on; say something to make this sound better! _"And… they could, you know, learn to interact with regular people. After all, once they graduate they'll have to fit into society, and work with non-zodiac members."

After a long silence, his father spoke. "We already have Juunishi in schools, you know."

"Well, yeah, but not enough of them. Right now it's the parents' decision whether their kid goes to school or is home-schooled. Their parents are overprotective" _Oh crap I just insulted them better keep talking well this is awkward _"but so are most parents. They just want what's best for their kid" _Ack now it sounds like I'm arguing against my own idea! _"But what they don't realize is that their kid will eventually have to go out into the world. If they practice concealing their curse at a young age, in a typical setting, they'll be more prepared when they grow up." _Hey, that sounded pretty good… in a sort of stupid way._

To his surprise, his father nodded. "I can see your point, and I respect the thought you put into this." _Thought? What thought? _wondered Ken'ichi wordlessly. "I must say, I have some misgivings about the idea. But if you were chosen, it means you must know what you are getting into. You may go ahead with this plan, Ken'ichi."

"Akira will be excluded, though. Right?" said their mother, looking at her husband for confirmation.

"No," he said simply.

"What?" she asked, giggling nervously as though there must be some mistake.

"If it is good enough for the other Juunishi, it is good enough for him."

She opened her mouth to say something, then closed it again.

"So I'm going to school?" asked Akira, as though he couldn't believe it.

"Yeah," said Ken'ichi, not believing it himself.

"Well… that's good, I guess."

Ken'ichi's half full glass of sake glinted dully in the soft moonlight.


	10. Rule

Memories of the Forgotten One

Chapter Ten

Rule

Author's Note: This chapter is brought to you after a seven year hiatus by "Elliott's class is really easy so far and he isn't used to having free time and needs something to do." So, I thought that finishing up old stories would be a fun hobby. I started this fic when I was fourteen (I'm twenty-one now), so I hope I've improved since then.

A continuity issue: Akira's hair is listed as brown in one chapter, then black in the next. Let's go with brown.

...

Kazuki lies on the floor, trying to breathe as quietly as possible. The evening light trails golds strands though the window, and a notebook opens its wings on his desk, the paper covered in crayons and wax drawings of animals - cats, dogs, and, like Akira's friend, a dragon.

Kazuki has seen seven summers in his life, and an event so rare seems a tragedy to sleep through. Through his window, the maples rust red, the lavender extinguished like a purple flame. He can sense the rain creeping in on the air, ready to turn his limbs heavy and hide the world in grey glass. He's not going to let the last of August be wasted on sleep; the last few days he has been staying awake to draw, his hand always smudged in graphite.

He also sneaks out, meeting up with Akira so much that he thinks the older boy may be getting tired to him. But that's okay, because Akira's started lending him books. Kazuki hides them underneath his piles of clothes, then reads them in the dying light, pressing the pages and his face close to the window to catch the last drops of sun falling in.

Akira's books are all history, and through them Kazuki has learned not only hundreds of characters, but about the World War fifteen years ago, and the Great Kanto Earthquake that happened before he was born, and about how Japan is in a depression, which means people are poor, but it's okay for Kazuki's family because the Sohmas are really wealthy. He also learned about Japan's emperor, who isn't really the emperor because that's Daiki, and Daiki passed, so really there's no emperor at all right now.

But now Akira's mean brother (who is nice to Kazuki, though), is in charge of the family, and making rules that Kazuki's parents have to stay up late and Discuss.

That's the other reason he's staying up tonight.

"I'm not questioning his rulings," his father is saying in the next room, "but he released that rule for the Juunishi. The cat has always been an outsider, and in this case, it may be for the best."

"He's our son, not 'the cat.' The rational was that the Juunishi should have balanced lives, and there are things we _can't _offer him here. Our family isn't a substitution for classmates his own age."

"Classmates who could find out all manner of things. Do you really want that Ryuu boy to have to erase more minds? Can you really endorse putting anyone though that?"

"Of course I don't _endorse _it. But are you really going to deny our child what may his only chance to see the world?"

Kazuki's father puts down one of the stone cups he's always drinking out of. "Do we really have to discuss this now?" he says, more quietly.

"It's always on our minds. We might as well say it."

"Sometimes I forget. Sometimes... things seem okay."

"But they're not okay."

"Do you think he knows?"

"If Daiki-sama told him, he hasn't mentioned it. I like to think I would have noticed, but... this is draining, Osamu. I can't do this alone."

"You're not alone."

"I feel like it. I know you work hard. But at least you still see the outside world."

"Is that what you want?"

"Of course that's what I want."

Another clack of stone on the table. "I'll talk to Ken'ichi-san. Kimiko... I didn't know you were unhappy."

Kazuki clambers under the covers at the sound of footsteps, but doesn't sleep well. He watches the purple-blue shadows climb the wall, and is afraid in a way he doesn't understand. Or maybe sad.

...

Two nights later, Osamu returns home late. He sits down at the table with a sigh that seemed to deflate him.

"What did he say?" says Kimiko, as she places a bowl of rice and eel in front of him. She spoons food into a second bowl for herself and sits down across from her husband.

"It's a personal decision." Osamu's gaze resists his wife's face, wandering towards the window to take in the heavy night and white shell of the moon.

"And your decision?" she says flatly. As per her upper class upbringing, Kimiko generally speaks as though she defers to her husband. However, Osamu is well aware of the consequences of displeasing the person who makes his meals and cleans his clothing. Last year he'd eaten take-out rice and shown up at work in a wrinkled shirt three days in a row, and patients gossiped over whether his wife had left him.

"It's not my choice," he says.

The ice in her eyes softens. "You already know my thoughts."

"It's not yours, either."

They finish their meal in silence, and Osamu steps into his son's room. The boy had pushed aside the curtain and presses himself close to the window as he sits cross-legged with a book in his hands. Kazuki jerks as he looks up to see his father, and tries unsuccessfully to hide the book between his knees.

"What are you reading?" asks Osamu without anger.

"…History book," mumbles Kazuki.

"Interesting?"

Kazuki nods.

Osamu, assuming the book is one which Kimiko had taught him from, says, "Do you like your mom's lessons?"

Again, Kazuki nods. Although his father rarely gets angry at him, he also seldom speaks to him, aside from storytelling. Along with the recent arguments between his parents, Kazuki is increasingly convinced that he has done something wrong.

Osamu, meanwhile, wonders about his son's shyness, and whether he has done something to provoke his discomfort. The two look at each other with a sense of confused guilt.

Osamu says, "Are they enough for you?"

Kazuki flounders for the appropriate answer. But by the book in his hands, Osamu already knows the truth.

Kimiko has always been a fast learner, faster than Osamu. Despite his phD and her high school diploma, she absorbs and assimilates new facts with no apparent effort, while Osamu laboured all his life to stay afloat. Kimiko keeps scientific works on the bedside table, while Osamu returns home each evening too exhausted for reading to cross his mind.

He's always thought Kazuki resembled his wife more than himself.

(Lately, he has noticed odd slips in Kimiko. She seems drained, as though the pink tones in her skin have been tinted grey. Shadows bruise the skin around her eyes, and she doesn't go for walks the way she had used to. She used to love autumn, gold foil light in the cracks between the leaves, red maple burning the sunset. She hasn't mentioned the approaching season once.

When he asked about Kazuki's lessons, his wife's words used to dance with excitement, a starburst of science, mathematics, and calligraphy. The last few months, the deluge of words has dried to grey monosyllables.

Part of him worries for Kazuki, while part of him blames him. His whole self worries for Kimiko. The only time he sees energy in her is when they fight. He wonders if he is provoking these fights intentionally.)

Osamu asks, "Do you want to go to school with the other children?"

Kazuki, unsure whether this is a trick question, stays silent.

Osamu adds, "It's not a bad thing, if you do."

Kazuki nods.

His father touches his shoulder. He is stunned by how young his son acts. Kazuki is usually quiet, drawing by himself or playing with wooden toys in his room. Osamu interpreted this as independence, but now considers whether his son is frightened. He does not blame him if he is. In this moment, Osamu does not blame anything on him.

This is his child, and he realizers with surprise that he would die to protect him. The unexpected emotion vibrates through his veins, his body, like his mind, unsure how to process it.

Kazuki, unused to physical contact, focuses on the warmth of his father's hand.


End file.
